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What is soil? Detailed answer

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Directory / Big encyclopedia. Questions for quiz and self-education

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Did you know?

What is soil?

Did you know that at one time almost all the soil that exists in the world today was bare rock? For millions of years, nature has worked tirelessly on them, weathering and destroying them, crumbling into pieces that we call soil. The process of destruction of rocks proceeds in different ways. Cracks appear in them as a result of the hot and cold seasons. The stone wears away under the action of clouds of sand driven by the wind. Ice chips scratch its surface. Sea waves rolling on coastal rocks undermine them and slowly but surely turn huge boulders into small crumbs. Even some bacteria secrete acid, slowly destroying rocks.

Soils vary in size and the number of particles present in them. A particle of soil consists mainly of sand. Heavy, cold and damp clay soil is formed by closely adjacent particles. And loam is a cross between sand and clay. Stony soil contains a large amount of gravel - pebbles. Humus or peat soil is formed as a result of the decomposition of dead plants and, on the contrary, contains very few solid particles, even the smallest ones.

In general, any soil on which there is at least some kind of vegetation has a very complex composition. In addition to rock fragments, it includes mineral salts, organic substances resulting from the process of decay, and living organisms (mainly lower plants).

The value of soil depends on its ability to supply plant roots with nutrients and provide access to air and moisture. An important role is played by the living beings in it. If you sterilize the soil, kill them, then it will cease to be fertile. However, even if the soil contains all the substances necessary for the plant, nothing will grow on it if there is no water in it, which dissolves these substances.

Good soil soaks up moisture like a sponge in a bowl of water. Therefore, plants in such soil can continue to live even during long periods of drought.

Author: Likum A.

 Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

Is it true that the best cure for depression is to give it up?

Yes. At least not less effective than pills.

Studies of patients aged 24 to 45 have shown that half an hour of physical activity three to five times a week has the same (if not more) effect in combating depression as drugs, reducing symptoms by about 50%.

According to the journal Science News, placebos are much more effective at relieving depression than drugs or herbal remedies. So, as a result of a series of experiments conducted between 1979 and 1996, Seattle psychiatrist Dr. Arif Khan found that in 24% of cases, depression was completely cured by St. were miraculously healed with simple sweetened "pacifiers". Although more recent studies comparing antidepressants such as Prozac and Efexor with placebo have taken drugs (25% cure rate), sugar pills have a staggering 32%. True, as soon as the deception was revealed, the patient's condition deteriorated sharply.

Many analysts believe that the entourage with which the treatment was carried out played an important role here - a serious clinical study with a large amount of professional attention to patients. The conclusion suggests itself: the fastest and longest result is given by a combination of medications and competent care.

Another effective tool in the fight against depression can be considered meditation. While doing research in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries at the recommendation of the Dalai Lama himself, Professor Richard Davidson, a neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin, asked his "experimental" monks to meditate on "unconditional love, kindness, and compassion."

The electroencephalogram showed a striking burst of positive gamma waves, which are usually quite difficult to detect. It turns out that with appropriate training, the human brain is able to produce its own dopamine - a hormone, the lack of which just leads to depression. Taking drugs, on the contrary, leads to the fact that your brain stops producing dopamine almost completely.

Constantly tuning in to "positive", a person is able to regain the joy of life. Perhaps this is one of the reasons for the placebo success: after all, faith is a powerful thing.

 Test your knowledge! Did you know...

▪ What is a protozoa?

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See other articles Section Big encyclopedia. Questions for quiz and self-education.

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